1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to a network management system which supports network operators in their day-by-day provisioning, and in particular is directed to an automated TIRKS.TM. network management system data alignment.
2. Background Art
Many of today's intelligent network elements have the ability to report their configuration to an external management system either on request or autonomously as changes occur.
TIRKS.TM. (Trunk Integrated Record Keeping System) is a Bellcore integrated, computerized network management system that supports the provisioning process for special service circuits, message trunks, and carrier circuits, and also provides inventory management of facilities and equipment.
The TIRKS system supports the full range of transmission technologies, such as SONET, including self-healing rings and other sophisticated SONET configurations, European digital hierarchy standards (SDH), digital circuitry hierarchy (DS0, DS1, DS3), and analog voice circuits.
The TIRKS system allows users to automatically log, route, and monitor the progress of work orders (WO), perform end-to-end circuit design based on generic specifications and automated scripts, view and maintain an accurate, up-to-date inventory of all facilities and equipment and their assignments, execute interactive, user-defined queries and generate customized reports of work center activity, critical dates, and jeopardy conditions, and interface seamlessly with other Bellcore operations support systems. However, discrepancies may occur from data entry errors, equipment not installed as planned, discrepancies between the actual plug-ins shipped from those expected, substitutions or errors by field personnel, or EMS being unable to make an assignment.
NORTEL'S integrated network management/manager (INM) broadband product is an open, multi-technology and multi-vendor distributed element management system. Based on the common object request broker architecture (CORBA) technology, INM is comprised of three layers, namely a graphical user interface (GUI), building blocs (BBs), and managed object agents (MOA). Nortel's Integrated Network Management (INM) Broadband element management system (EMS) employs the philosophy of "the network is the database", and can make use of current technology to obtain an accurate, up-to-date view of the configurations of all the network elements that the INM controls.
The GUI comprises two graphical user interfaces, a graphical network browser (GNB) and a graphical network editor (GNE), which deliver functions such as surveillance, connection provisioning, software delivery, remove inventory and performance monitoring.
The BBs are software units providing sopecific functionality to the GUI, but through open, standards-based CORBA interfaces. Current INM broadband BBs include fault management, resource management, connection management, nodal connection management and performance management building blocks. Other BBs may be added as they emerge.
MOAs consolidate and adapt information from the network under their management control to open, standards-based CORBA interfaces. CORBA-based MOAs communicate with the managed network using TL1 (transaction language-1), SNMP (simple network management protocol), CMIP (common information management protocol) or proprietary protocols.
One of the objectives of modern telecommunications management network (TMN) architectures is to confine details of the network to the element management layer. Thus, network element management systems (EMSs) perform technology specific Operations, Administration, Maintenance and Provisioning (OAM&P) functions, while the network and service management layers operate using abstractions of the underlying network technology.
The TIRKS system databases do not always accurately reflect how the equipment is actually configured in the network. Inaccurate data can cause fallout in the provisioning process, stranding of equipment, and unnecessary dispatches resulting in increased costs, missed due dates, and customer dissatisfaction. Field condition that may create database discrepancies include: assignment made by the provisioning system is actually in use and therefore not available, incorrect assignment based on incorrect view of the actual field conditions, missing equipment plug-ins in the field; and the EMS being unable to make assignment.
Current TIRKS users must contend with on-going TIRKS database discrepancies between the facilities assignments associated with service or repair orders and the actual field conditions encountered. The only other known solution to update TIRKS databases is a manual solution. Subsequent to completing the service or repair order, work center personnel uses the actual field information discovered using the INM broadband user interface (Ul) to manually update the TIRKS database.
This technique has been fairly successful, although disadvantages include sheer amount of data (hence human effort) involved and its reactive versus proactive nature. This activity can sometimes lead to multiple database corrections because of numerous inaccuracies. In addition, for the most part, this update effort is triggered by service or repair activity and is not part of a programmed work effort.